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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29318343">we can be heroes (just for one day)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kdotan/pseuds/Kdotan'>Kdotan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>this place is insane (but it could be home) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Clay | Dream and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I BELIEVE IN DREW TANAKA SUPREMACY, Intrusive Thoughts, Past Abuse, Repressed Memories, Rick Riordan Demigod Universe | Riordanverse, SBI Content is coming soon lads just wait, Toby Smith | Tubbo and TommyInnit are Siblings, TommyInnit Has ADHD (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Swears (Video Blogging RPF), Touch-Starved, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), and also trauma, anger issues, dream is not a villain yay, for later ;), hey tommy wtf is happening with ur emotional state, i love you lester but toa does not exist here, i mean hes a demigod yeah, just a note, lol, more hinted at than anything, no beta we die like c!wilbur soot, somehow tommy is both, the timeline is set the summer after BOO, theres a reason this is not tagged major character death, tommy gains a sword, touch-adverse, uhh not in this though</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:41:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,089</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29318343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kdotan/pseuds/Kdotan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy has no idea how he got into this demigod shit.</p><p>It was supposed to be a normal field trip to a museum of modern art, an end of the school year trip that he supposed was ‘educational’ enough for his teachers to allow a bunch of misbehaved ADHD middle-grade kids to go to.</p><p>Haha. How he wished that was the case.</p><p>OR: a dream smp pjo au, where a thirteen year-old son of Aphrodite Tommy tries to cope with his new surrondings as he's introduced to the demigod way of this (and all of these prophecies are surely  not helping)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Platonic Relationships - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>this place is insane (but it could be home) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>87</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>480</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A List of Reasons of Why I'm Shit At Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
  <span>Tommy has no idea how he got into this demigod shit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was supposed to be a normal field trip to a museum of modern art, an end of the school year trip that he supposed was ‘educational’ enough for his teachers to allow a bunch of misbehaved ADHD middle-grade kids to go to.     </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So here he was, sitting in the back of a beat-down bus, desperately trying to avoid being hit by flying paper projectiles and blocking out the loud chatter of his classmates. Tommy glanced over to the seat next to him where Tubbo sat staring out the window. On occasion, he would look up to the front of the bus, before shrinking back down to his position, twiddling with the bronze bracelets he wore on each wrist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi, why the fuck are you doing that?” Tommy frowned at the sight of his anxious best friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo blinked. “Uh, doing what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That,” Tommy motioned to the front of the bus with his head. “You keep on looking n’ ducking n’ shit.” He attempted to scan his surroundings to catch anything out of place, but nothing seemed amiss. It was just the same as usual, kids all jabbering and shouting while their teacher yelled at them to calm down.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s really nothing, Tommy. I’m fine,” Tubbo smiled, but his eyebrows were still creased with worry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy glared and frowned harder. Obviously something had to be bothering him if he was acting like </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>. So he searched a bit harder, eyes eventually ending up at the very front of the bus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>God, not this again, right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not Mr. Tweeds again, is it big man?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo bit his lip and looked away sheepishly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ugghhhhhh-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds was this old sub that had filled in for their English teacher who left a while back -- something about their old one having a mental breakdown or some shit. He had old, leathery skin and always walked bent over a cane like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Honestly, he wasn’t too bad to other kids, if not a bit strict, but for some hellbent reason, he was insistent on being a huge fucking bitch to Tubbo. Tommy could count the dozens of times he had made Tubbo come up to the front of the class to read in front to the class or write on the board, knowing fully well of his dyslexia, and then had the fucking audacity to fucking punish him for it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy had tried to convince Tubbo to let him punch the old man -- or at least let him stay back for detention to keep him company -- but for whatever reason, Tubbo never seemed to want Tommy to even get </span>
  <em>
    <span>close </span>
  </em>
  <span>to their teacher.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even now, even as Tubbo was clearly uncomfortable with the old hag, he kept trying to push Tommy’s worries away, kind and considerate as always.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>God, how Tommy wished he wouldn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy swiped a hand through his hair. He glanced back to the front of the bus, and then blinked. The substitute teacher in question was glaring at them, red eyes unblinking, with an annoyed look on his wrinkled face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Tubbo? Mr. Tweeds is staring at us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo stiffened. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy frowned. “Yeah, he’s just totally staring at us. Being creepy as fuck though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tommy, look away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eh, it’s fine big man. What could a fucking old man do to me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tommy, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I’m being serious right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy turned to face Tubbo, who was shivering and shaking, a fearful expression imprinted on his face. He seemed to grip onto his bands for life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy squinted. Writing he never noticed before blended together on the bands. Despite his dyslexia, he found them quite easy to read. One band had been fondly labeled ‘Spinz’ and the other ‘Spuns.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck,” He whispered. “Tubbo, what’s up with you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- I can’t tell you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo put his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please, Tubbo. What’s so wrong with Mr. Tweeds? What can’t you tell me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy’s words felt like honey in his mouth, thick and too-sweet on his tongue that it made him dizzy, but it was almost like an instinct that he couldn’t stop the pour from his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo’s eyes softened. “I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bus stopped with a soft hiss. Their chaperone teacher, Mrs. Maple, announced that they had reached their destination. Tubbo seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been under, seemingly ignoring the events of what just happened. “Gods, finally we’re here. Took them long enough- oh! Tommy? Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy shivered. The powerful feeling faded as quickly as it had appeared, leaving him dizzy and cold. “Yeah, yeah, I’m alright,” he managed to force out, voice suddenly sore. “You ready for this, big man?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thirty long minutes passed as they exited the bus and lined up inside the museum. The teacher walked along their tour guide, who led them along, lecturing about all the different art fixtures around them. Tommy didn’t really give two fucks. He was too busy looking at Tubbo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy was busy looking around, scanning the walls of paintings, but Tommy could still tell he was anxious. Call it his ‘Tubbo instinct’ or whatever, but it was easy to tell by the way he hunched his shoulders to make himself seem smaller than he was, or how he kept fiddling with his bracelets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They eventually moved on to a large statue of a winged old man, who bore a large scythe and was shoving a baby-like figure in his mouth. For some reason, the sight was enough to send a shiver up Tommy’s spine. It seemed to freak Tubbo out too, who grabbed Tommy’s sleeve tight and didn’t let go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can anyone tell me who this is?” Mrs. Maple asked, her tone light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few of his classmates mumbled out a few incoherent words, but one kid eventually perked up. “Kronos?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tour guide nodded. “Yes. This is a depiction of the Greek Titan Kronos. He was the father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, who defeated him in the Titan War for power over the world.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few kids nodded along, while a few laughed at the strange statue. Tommy shrugged. He honestly never cared for any of the Greek Mythology units they had taught earlier in the year. The stories were too long and boring for him to keep interest, and the big words made his dyslexic mind spin hard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the class began to move on, Tommy noticed Tubbo, who still stood frozen in front of the statue of Kronos, hazel eyes wide and far away. He gripped his friend’s arm and shook it lightly, concern ebbing at his chest when Tubbo didn’t respond right away. “Tubbo?” He asked, his voice soft.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Erlea,” Mr. Tweeds voice announced loudly, which finally seemed to be what Tubbo needed to snap him from his trance, leaving him tense in Tommy’s grip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two boys turned to where the class was up ahead, where Mr. Tweeds sat on his cane, looking down on them with a damning expression on his face. “Holding up the class now, are we, boy?” The old man clucked his tongue in disapproval. “I think we might need to have another word, don't you think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo’s eyes widened in fear, his whole body shivering. “Uh-” he squeaked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, Mr. Erlea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds stormed off to another section of the museum, leaving Tommy and a shaking Tubbo in his wake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo?” Tommy asked. “What the fuck was that? Is he gonna fucking do something to you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo closed his eyes. His fists tightened so hard that his knuckles turned white against his bronze wristbands. “Tommy. Stay here a moment, will you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo, you can’t just fucking dodge the question like that, you-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo turned to face him. Tommy could see his eyes were slightly watery, but his face was the most serious that Tommy had ever seen it be. “Please, Tommy. You have to do this for me, okay? I’ll be back in a minute.” Tommy’s stomach churned, but before he could protest anything, Tubbo was already marching after their substitute.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What… the actual fuck..</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo!” Tommy yelled. “Tubbo?” He was surprised about how his voice wavered, how soft it sounded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There’s no way, right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Right??</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy glanced over to where the class had already moved on, unaware of their sub leaving with a student in tow. Unaware of him. Then he glanced over to the stupid Kronos statue; the glazed eyes seemed to follow him, asking “are you really doing this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No, he wouldn’t, right? After all, he needed to catch up with the class. He couldn’t just leave them. Surely they would notice he was missing!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But Tubbo might be in trouble.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Goddamn it,” he muttered. Consequences be damned, it was Tubbo! Protecting Tubbo was one of things he had promised when he was plopped into this shit building they called a special-needs school. And he intended on keeping that promise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like I’m doing this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he rushed off toward the direction of Tubbo, unknowingly leaving any past shred of normalcy he had behind.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Why Is It Always the English Teacher Who Tries to Kill You?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy follows Tubbo. It does not go as planned.</p><p>Or: Tommy fucks an old man's shit up.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Following Tubbo wasn’t that hard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The museum had long halls, but each section was large and easy for his mind to follow. It helped that Tubbo stuck out like a sore thumb with his many bracelets and bright green shirt, trailing behind Mr. Tweeds nervously as the teacher led them further into the museum.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy stayed a bit behind so not as to stir up any suspicion in his friend, but his thoughts were racing. What was happening with Tubbo and Mr. Tweeds?  If it was what he was thinking, god, he didn’t know what he would do. But with the reaction that Tubbo had given earlier, you’d think Mr Tweeds was going to try to kill him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually they were led into an outdoor space, where a few marble statues were sectioned off with velvet ropes. Tommy glanced around at the trimmed gardenry as he stepped behind a pillar to hide. It was just him, Tubbo, and Mr Tweeds. No tours or guides were to be seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds faced Tubbo, the angered expression he had just a few minutes ago was replaced with an amused smirk. “Well, Mr. Erlea, I have to say, I’m getting quite bored of this routine you’ve settled into.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I’m getting bored of yours,” Tubbo snapped, his voice cracking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds frowned. “I wouldn’t get an attitude if I were you, son of Demeter.” His red eyes flashed and burned for a second, glowing like embers. Tubbo took a step back, gripping his bands tight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fucking what?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tommy blinked. He reached up to rub at his eyes --- an old bad habit of his --- to make sure he had seen that correctly. What the hell was that? What had Mr. Tweeds just called Tubbo? A son of Demeter?</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tommy dimly recognized that as one of the ancient greek gods they had studied, though of what he couldn’t remember.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Tubbo hissed. “What are you gonna do about it, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds laughed. Tommy almost shivered at the pure insanity that was clear in his teacher’s voice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>God, what the fuck? </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Please, you’re young for your age, aren’t you Mr. Erlea? And you’ve been at that </span>
  <em>
    <span>camp </span>
  </em>
  <span>for how many years now? Bets to say that you’ve never even fought one of my kind, let alone someone as strong as me.” The smile that followed that sentence was of twisted delight, one that made Tommy’s stomach churn hard. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just you wait. I’m gonna hit-spit-spackle your ass back to the pits of Tartarus.” Tubbo stepped back a few more paces into the grass. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I like a challenge!” Mr. Tweeds chuckled. “I was going to go after your little friend -- what was it? -- Tommy, first, but this is so much more exciting!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo’s face burned red. The grass at his feet seemed to grow and twist, as if responding to his anger. “Don’t you fucking dare!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s the spirit! Let’s see how far you get!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Tommy could even begin to process the conversation that had just taken place, two things happened, both so fucking insane that Tommy actually stumbled back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>First was Mr Tweeds. His eyes burned like hot coals on fire, and his body morphed and stretched into something that wasn’t human. Fuck, Tommy wasn’t sure what it was. The old man fell onto his hands, his front becoming something likened to a lion, but one with sharp, razor-like teeth, and talons instead of soft paws. His back half was a shaggy goat. A long snake rounded off the tail, hissing and snapping for blood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The monster he barely recognized from pictures in his textbooks, a chimera, snarled. He bounded on his front paws for a moment, a blood-thirsty grin imprinted on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he pounced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy almost had half the mind to yell out to Tubbo, to shriek at him to </span>
  <em>
    <span>move </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>get the hell away, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but it was like his tongue was glued to the top of his mouth, shocked into silence at the horror in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily, Tubbo was a step ahead of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His bracelets lit up a brilliant bronze glow, morphing into two shiny daggers that fit perfect into Tubbo’s hands. His friend reeled back. Then the second impossible thing happened:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The grass rapidly grew before his eyes, weaving itself into one large vine that Mr. Tweeds (? Tommy wasn’t sure if the thing was even Mr. Tweeds anymore) easily shredded through. Tubbo winced, but he quickly blocked the blow of the sharp claws with his knives.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fight continued on like this for a bit, with the chimera slashing and stalking like a predator looking for prey. Vines and flowers poked up wherever Tubbo ducked and stepped, growing into weak defenses to protect him. He noted that Tubbo always seemed to flinch when they were ripped apart a moment later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only coherent thought Tommy could put together was </span>
  <em>
    <span>what the fuck is going on? </span>
  </em>
  <span>His best guess was that he was dreaming, tucked away still sleeping in his bed, but the scene in front of him seemed much too vivid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This can’t be real, Tommy thought as he watched metal swing against claw.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Can it? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds swiped again for Tubbo’s face and grinned viciously, which Tubbo only barely managed to block before he was knocked backwards into Tommy’s pillar. His daggers flew out of his hands, one discarded to the side and the other skidding to a stop near Tommy’s foot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Tubbo muttered. His shirt had ripped at the shoulder, revealing a deep cut welling with red. “That’s not good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds let out an amused chuckle, snake tail flicking out a hiss. “Well, I have to admit, demigod, this was fun. Quick, but fun nonetheless.” Tommy flinched as his substitute teacher examined his bloody claw, as if he hadn’t just fucking been trying to murder his best friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy watched with cold fear as the chimera stalked toward Tubbo, fangs bared. It was only then that the realization hit Tommy with a sudden dizziness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds was gonna kill him. Mr Tweeds was gonna kill Tubbo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not on my fucking watch.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Tommy’s fear twisted in his gut, curling into white-hot anger. Without thinking, he picked up Tubbo’s dagger with one hand and a stray pebble with the other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi! Bitch!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pebble hit Mr. Tweeds on the head uselessly. His red eyes lightened for a moment, confused, before he turned to where Tommy had stepped out from his hiding place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tommy!” Tubbo gasped. “I told you to stay behind!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, right</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Tommy thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Like I'd leave you behind, Tubs.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy didn’t voice his thoughts. Instead, he stepped between Tubbo and the confused chimera. He brandished the dagger as threateningly as he could, even though he was sure he was holding it wrong. Whatever. It was for the intimidation factor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you really think you could try to kill Tubbo without getting through me, prick?” Tommy snapped. “I should’ve known you weren’t a fucking teacher. You’re too fucking stupid for that. You didn’t even see me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr Tweeds blinked. His tail flicked absentmindedly behind him. For a moment, Tommy thought he had actually managed to catch the old man off guard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, he fell forward on his front paws and started cackling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Tommy managed between his teacher’s fits of laughter. “But what the fuck is so funny?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds calmed himself down long enough to speak. “No, I’m sorry.” His voice sounded crazily amused for just being threatened. “For thinking this was going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Look at him! Thinking he can beat me untrained.” He burst out laughing again, his eyes filled with bloodlust again. “Demigods truely are stupid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy’s head clouded with rage. He probably shouldn’t have been so offended by the monster, but his mind fogged over. His impulse took over again and before he knows it, he’s up on his feet and holding the dagger to Mr. Tweeds’ throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who the fuck said you could laugh at me, you prick?” The honey feeling in his mouth had returned, but instead of sweet and sticky, his words had taken an edge. It felt like he was spitting venom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Tweeds’ ears flattened against his skull, but he quickly covered it up with a hard growl. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s feigning confidence,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tommy recognizes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s… scared. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“You’re still untrained. This will be easy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy lashes out. He attempts to stab the chimera straight through the throat, but the monster easily jumps back out of harm's way. Tommy’s rage boiled over the edge, his vision going white.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the battle blurred together after that. He remembers the burning adrenaline in his muscles and the anger obstructing his vision but anything other than the overwhelming fear he fought with was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last clear thing of his first battle was Tubbo stabbing Mr. Tweeds in the back and golden sand blowing away in the wind. Tubbo’s eyes were wide with surprise and a hint of awe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy tries to say something, but his mind is so dizzy and his throat is so sore that all he can do is sink to the ground as Tubbo squeaks, rushing to his side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> He can feel himself spacing out. His social worker had told him that he used to have a habit of doing it when he was younger, something about his ADHD and a trauma response and blah-blah-blah-- he didn't really care. But now as he stares at the ground, Tommy wonders if what she said was true.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He decides to shelve the question for later, letting his mind go blank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looks up after a bit. Tubbo is kneeling in front of him, his mouth moving but no words are coming out. He’s holding out half of what looks to be a lemon square. His shirt is still ripped, but the cut is gone like it was never there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy takes the pastry wordlessly. It tastes like chocolate oranges. Tommy doesn’t question why. He figures that if whatever just happened was real, then the least of his worries should be how a lemon square tastes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, his energy replenishes enough so he can stand on his feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wonders how long he zoned out, because Tubbo is organizing his backpack, bands back on his wrists, a concentrated look on his face. Tommy walks over to him. “Whatcha doin’, big man?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo freezes, before turning with a jubilant expression on his face. “Tommy!” He practically squeezes Tommy into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy blinks, a small smile spreading on his face. “Yeah,” he whispers. “I’m okay. Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo shoulders his bag and nods. They both stand there, staring at each other awkwardly for a good moment. Honestly, Tommy isn’t sure what to say. He isn’t too good at being vulnerable, and there’s not exactly a good way to casually say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey! now that our demon english teacher is dead, you wanna grab lunch?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Tubbo speaks up. “So…” He rubs the back of his neck. “You probably want to know what the fuck just happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy snorts. “You think?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both laugh. “Yeah.. It’s a bit complicated. So, basically-“ Tubbo fumbles with his words, flapping his hands. “I don’t exactly know how to explain.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Easy,” Tommy says. “You just killed our English teacher. Granted, he was an asshole and a creep, but couldn’t you have at least killed our maths professor instead? I’m shit at maths.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo giggles. “That- that wasn’t exactly our teacher.” He stops for a moment. “Well, I mean, he was, but he wasn’t human.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can guess that much,” Tommy says. “But, if Mr. Tweeds wasn’t human, what was he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A monster, probably”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy whips around to see a new voice that had joined their conversation. It’s hard to gauge his gender at first --- with his dirty blonde hair reaching chin-length and especially with the porcelain smiley-face mask over their face. He’s wearing a neon green zip-up jacket over a bright orange t-shirt with faded lettering </span>
  <em>
    <span>(okay, seriously, what the hell is up with this dude’s fashion sense?)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, if you guys are talking about what I think you're talking about,” The guy says. “Then, yeah. Definitely a monster.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy is about to question this guy --- about to ask him lots of things like</span>
  <em>
    <span> who the fuck are you?</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>what the hell do you mean by ‘a monster?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>--- but Tubbo beats him to it, gasping out in delight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dream!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo practically leaps into the teen’s arms. He’s smiling bright. “I’m so happy to see you! How did you know to find us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream lets out an amused chuckle. He pulls his mask up, making it so that you can just see his mouth when he talks. “A had a bit of a hunch. Helps when one of your friend’s dad is literally the god of prophecies.” He turns his head to look down at Tommy. “Is this the one we needed to pick up? You’re Thomas? Tomathy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s Tommy,” Tommy corrects. “And what kind of bitch boy name is Dream?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream opens his mouth to respond, but is loudly interrupted from yelling behind them. Tommy takes a peek behind them to see a golden carriage that definitely was not there before. “Dream! You wanna hurry up over there? Six demigods attract an awful lot of monsters, and I don’t feel like dealing with that bullshit today!” A boy with a beanie shouts. He looks to be manning the chariot (and Tommy doesn't even look in the way of the feathery pegasi he’s rallying, deciding there’s only so much crazy shit a guy can take in a day.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright! I got it,” Dream turned back to Tommy. “But in all seriousness, Wilbur’s right. We need to get moving.” He started for the chariot, but Tommy grabbed his arm to hold him back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck are you talking about. Demigods? Monsters? I don’t-” The fuzzy feeling in his head returned, if only just for a moment, and his vision blotted out. Tommy’s stomach fluttered. Suddenly, his mouth felt too thick with syrup to talk. He stumbled forward, only being caught when Dream surged forward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream frowned, glancing him up and down. “You didn’t tell him Tubbo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There wasn’t enough time,” Tubbo explained. He fidgeted in place. “I wasn’t exactly expecting him to jump in on the fight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell did you want me to do?” Tommy muttered. “You were in trouble.” He pushed himself up. “Now, where do we have to go again?” He vaguely remembered Mr. Tweeds saying something about a camp that Tubbo went to; one that he specifically had </span>
  <em>
    <span>trained </span>
  </em>
  <span>at. The implications on that made Tommy both anxious and curious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo’s eyebrows furrowed, his mouth turned down slightly like he always did when he was worried. “Are you sure about this, Tommy? Once you learn, you can never go back to normal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, the way you’re talking about it, I had to find out eventually, innit?” Tommy bumped Tubbo’s arm. “Besides, wherever you go, I go. There’s no getting rid of me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo snorted. “I figured.” He took Tommy’s hand. “C’mon. We’ll explain everything on the way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You got that right,” Dream said. He led them to the chariot, where Wilbur had exclaimed a sudden ‘Gods, finally’ and mumbled something about the pegasi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they took off, the New York cities blurred as they passed by, Tommy couldn’t help the strange feeling in his gut. It was something he couldn’t shake off, unlike his dizzy spells, like a million spiders were crawling on his skin. He felt like eyes were boring into his soul.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. No, he couldn’t think like that. He was Tommy Discus, he was a big man, he- he was alright.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yeah. He was alright.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wasn’t he?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh Tommy... Always trust your gut instincts..<br/>Anyone wanna guess who the other demigods are/their parents + Dream and Wilbur's parents? Hint: One of them is a Roman legacy and the other is that child of Apollo Dream mentioned :)</p><p>Also, my friend wanted me to include a list of things they said while I was writing this chapter. This might become a thing, might not, but here we goooo!!<br/>-red flag x1000<br/>-man mr tweeds is fucking cringe man<br/>-would mr tweeds have toe beans, if he had lion paws?<br/>- i'm upset with how gravity falls ended, i wanted the dirato to win god dammit<br/>-mr tweeds is fucking pedooo tubbo beat the shit out of him<br/>-nhi0nby<br/>-you think tubbo has an obsession with cereal because hes a demeter kid?<br/>-ey yo fuck mr tweeds he is a poor exuse of a human being he probably still sleeps with his mommy what a fuking cunt, heshould go cry back to his mommy that he got hiss ass whoped by two kids.<br/>-lmao tweeds is a fucking furry<br/>- “tommy, what do you have!?” “A KNIFE!” “NO!”<br/>-*is a karlnapity stan*<br/>- mr tweeds looks like bald crusty david bowie on steroids<br/>- the summery should be tommy fucks an old mans shit up</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Thrilling Guide of Terrifying Dreams and Falling to Your Death (By Tommy Discus)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy finally gets a bit of an explanation as to what's up with the situation he's in, meets a few people like him, and then has a nightmare unlike any he's ever had.</p><p>OR: </p><p>Tommy learns his parent fucked a Greek God, and then has some wack-ass dreams.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The chariot ride to camp was somehow both dangerous and thrilling at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was the open back, where there was about a 99.9% percent rate of falling straight to your death and a 100% rate of screaming while you did so. Or maybe it was the pegasi feathers that blew in your face, or maybe it was the roaring wind making your ears pop, or maybe it was just the fact that you had just learned you weren’t as human as you thought you were, effectively sweeping everything you’ve ever known from under you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Tommy thought. He spat out a pegasus feather and gripped the thin safety railing tighter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Definitely a mix of all of them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>So far he had learned a bit more about his predicament. Apparently, he was this thing called a demigod --- and that was the honestly the most believable part. So one of his parents had banged a greek god? Who cares? He never met them, never exactly wanted to meet them, so it was one of the things he could actually accept.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest? The rest was just insane.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo explained everything from the beginning; how he had transferred to their school under his sister’s insistence of learning “real world knowledge” (as Tubbo had deemed it) and immediately pegged out Tommy as a demigod. What was worse, was that Tommy also had a powerful monster on his trail, taking the form of a replacement english teacher. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apparently Tubbo had only been supposed to be at his school for a few weeks at the most, but he managed to snag the camp directors permission to stay longer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy hated how much it made sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All the strange things that had happened in his youth were connecting now. His dizzy spells, the strange eyes that always seemed to follow him, heck, even him being tossed from one foster home to another was making more sense. Nobody ever seemed to know what to do with the kid whose words seemed more powerful than he could control.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Tommy looked back over the edge, peering down at the cities blurring by. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It shouldn’t be too far now,” Dream replied. He was sitting right next to Tubbo, an arm gripped protectively around his shoulder. His white mask stared unblinkingly, unfazed by the world passing by around them. It made sense why he was so unbothered. Apparently, he had been doing this half-blood shit for a long while. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Since they had gotten acquainted, Tommy had officially learned three things about Dream.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<ol>
<li><span>He was Tubbo’s brother, despite having a completely different parentage from Tubbo on both sides of the family tree. But their relationship was obvious to Tommy by the way they acted with each other.</span></li>
<li><span> He was a son of Hermes, god of traveling and thieves, which meant that he could move fast n’ shit. Speedrunning, he called it, whatever the fuck that meant.</span></li>
<li>
<span>He never took off his mask. </span><em><span>Never</span></em><span>.</span>
</li>
</ol><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pfft, not too long? Dream, this is Wilbur we’re talking about. He cannot drive for shit, you of all people should know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy’s head snapped toward Sapnap. The son of Apollo (“God of prophecies, healing, archery, among other things..”) was sitting parallel to Dream. He had unruly black hair tied with a white bandana, and wore a black sleeved shirt under his orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. A golden ring glinted on a clay bead necklace tied around his neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap, according to Dream, was brought in the case of there being an injuries needing to be healed (“Dunno why,” Tubbo snickered in Tommy’s ear. “Ask anyone you know and they’ll tell you Sapnap can’t heal for shit.”) for which he gave Tommy a quarter of another lemon square (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ambrosia --- the gods’ food --- and apparently good for healing demigods. Who knew?</span>
  </em>
  <span>) to help with his dizziness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now,” Philza chastised. “Wilbur’s sensitive about that, you know. Let’s give him a bit of a break.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Philza Craft was the first person to spoke to Tommy when he enter the chariot. He had a threatening presence that Tommy was a bit afraid to get close to, despite his warm smile and the soft, feathery wings that protruded from his back. He seemed older than Dream and Sapnap, who were in their late teens at the maximum. Maybe around his mid-twenties?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy was quickly informed when asking about his godly parent that Philza was infact not a Greek demigod, but a Roman legacy of the rainbow goddess Arcus, which was apparently something completely different. He trained at their sister camp --- Camp Jupiter --- but switched between the two camps frequently to stay updated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anyways, he had chimed in to help Tubbo explain the situation a few times, but other than that, Tommy wanted to stray clear of the man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then there was Wilbur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ah, Wilbur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wilbur was a fucking prick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not even two seconds after Tommy had gotten situated, he had loudly went “Is the child okay yet or has he burst into tears?” To which Tommy had calmly explained that quote, “I’M NOT A FUCKING CHILD, YOU FUCKING BITCH. I AM ALMOST THIRTEEN FOR YOUR INFORMATION, YOU DICK!!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was the story of how Tommy’s burning hatred began. So far, Wilbur had commented at least ten times on his insistent profanities and at least twenty on his “hilarious faces” while he was having the whole spiel explained to him instead of focusing on, you know, driving the goddamn chariot!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream had explained that the only reason Wilbur had come in the first place was because he wanted to impress his dad, Dionysis, who was also the camp director. Something about earning a quest and the respect he wanted. Tommy didn’t really care about anything except maybe getting Wilbur’s pegasi driving permit revokedt.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you let me take over for a bit, mate?” Phil tilted his head in Wilbur’s direction. When the son of Dionysis didn’t budge, he added, “Plus, I’m better with the pegasi than you are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a beat of silence before Wilbur finally caved. “Alright,” he said. “Only for a little bit though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten minutes of silence passed before Tommy felt his eyes begin to droop. He tried to rub at his eyes to stay awake, but the world around him felt heavy, much like it usually did after his dizzy spells. The extra energy the ambrosia gave him was wearing off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you get some sleep, mate?” Although Phil didn’t directly look at him, it was clear the suggestion was for Tommy. “It’s been a long day for you. Might be good to take the extra rest before you get landed in the Hermes Cabin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream snorted. “Trust me. It’s super crowded in there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- I’m fine.” The words rested heavy like honey on Tommy’s tongue, tinted with drowsiness. He wasn’t sure if he believed them himself, but he wasnt sure if he could trust himself to fall asleep vulnerable in front of four strangers (+ Tubbo.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry,” Philza smiled warmly. “We’re a bit far from camp right now --- Wilbur took us a bit off course. You have the time to rest up before we get there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blinked, ready to argue, but the reassuring look from Tubbo made him cave. “Fine, fine,” he grumbled. “I was getting a headache from you pricks anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last thing he heard was the quiet chatter of Tubbo’s voice before sank down into the peaceful darkness.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The smell of burning awoke him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy almost hit his head with how fast he sat up, only just narrowly avoiding bonking his head on metal. Only then did he realize he wasn’t in the chariot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaping to his feet, Tommy tried to guage his situation. He was surrounded by lavish red carpets and dark walls. The faint sound of dramatic music filled his ears nearby. The metal he’d nearly gained a head injury from was a silver cart holding fancy drinks and cakes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy’s stomach rumbled, distracted by the possibility of food. Turns out learning you were half god was enough to distract you from hunger for a few hours.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Enough of that,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tommy chastised himself.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Figure out where you are, then you can worry about food.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I know that..” Tommy’s ears perked up at the sound of a beautiful voice, almost like soft ribbon, from down the hall. At the end of the hallway, there was a open doorway curtained off with velvet. Tommy sneaked his way down and peeked it open slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There he was greeted with the most beautiful women he had ever seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was sat upon a jeweled thrown, fire pits lining either side. Rich brown skin, curly hair as black as night. She wore a simple tulle ballgown, rhinestones decorating the top of the white bodice. A pair of shimmering gold butterfly wings protruded from her back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kneeling at her feet were several attendants in black and white uniforms. One slowly stood up uppn being commanded by the beautiful women. “Speak,” she told them. “Tell me, what is the situation with the boy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The boy knows,” The attendant said nervously. After a minute, they also added, “He got picked up by a few of the son of Demeter’s allies. They’re heading to the camp.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy would’ve expected the women to be mad, to smash everything to bits and execute the attendant immediately with how nervous they were acting. Instead, she rose an eyebrow. “He defeated my chimera?” Her voice was surprised, but not unwelcoming. “Hm, perhaps I underestimated him. Figures.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy blanched. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck </span>
  </em>
  <span>--- they were talking about him, weren’t they? But how? He had only learned about demigods like two hours ago. How the fuck had they managed to catch up to him so fast?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He defeated my chimera…</span>
  </em>
  <span> Suddenly this lady didn’t seem all that nice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nonethenless,” The lady said. “We will carry through with the plan.” She smiled, her pretty brown eyes lighting up with malice. “Send for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>pismires.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“B-but, Lady Pysche,” One of the attendants suddenly stood up. They seemed too young to be serving, maybe nine or ten. “W-what about the barrier?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, my dear,” The goddess, Psyche soothed. “Everything will fall into place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Psyche stood still. Tommy was about to bolt then and there until he realized the goddess’s eyes were right on him. Cold fear filled his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck- </span>
  </em>
  <span>His mind yelled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Get out of here, you idiot!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seems like we have an unexpected visitor.” Psyche chuckled. “Get him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The attendants surged forward like a bunch of zombies, and his face was on the floor before he knew it. “What do you want with me?” He tried to yell, but the world might as well have been underwater with how dizzy he felt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And when Psyche opened her mouth to speak, it was Tubbo’s alarmed voice that came out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tommy!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Tommy awoke with a jolt. Tubbo was sitting over him, eyes wide and hair ruffled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah, woah, woah. What’s up, big man?” He put his hand on Tubbo’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. “What’s happening?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re here,” Tubbo bit his lip. “But... we’re having a bit of turbulence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was then that Tommy realized the chariot was violently shaking, more than it probably should be. He looked over to where alarmed yelling was coming from the drivers seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wilbur Soot! I swear to the gods if you fucking break this chariot, I am going to strangle you! And that’s if Will doesn’t get to me first!” Sapnap was shouting over the wind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re not listening to Phil or I!” Wilbur yelled back. “It’s like they’ve gone insane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy didn’t realize that they were talking about the pegasi until he saw the sight in front of him. The flying horses were going haywire, zigzagging in an attempt to get the harnesses that attached them to the chariot off. They’re eyes seemed off, dazed and angry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You call this a ‘bit’ of turbulence?” Tommy asked. “What’s going on with the horses?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I honestly have no idea what’s going on with them. Usually all the pegasi are really gentle with everyone, and they love taking the chariot out,” Tubbo frowned. “My best guess would be that something freaked them out enough for them to want to try and get away.” He leaned over the edge slightly. “Phil took Dream down with him to see if they could get help, but they haven’t come back yet.. I’m not sure if they’re gonna make it back in time before..”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo trailed off. Even though the words went unsaid, the message burned between them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Before we go down in flames and fall to our fucking deaths.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy managed to make it to his feet without stumbling, gripping the railing so hard his knuckles were turning white. He needed to try something. “OI, FUCKING INSANE HORSES! SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN TO ME!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately, the pegasi snapped toward him. Tommy stepped back, taking a deep breathe. He was running on pure instinct right now, and if he wanted this to work correctly, he needed to focus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt the sweet feeling burning in the back of his throat so bad it made his eyes water. But instead of letting it flow out into the air around him, he concentrated on forcing it straight toward the pegasi, letting it build up and form the word before he could say it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He held out a hand, a sign of peace --- surrender --- and uttered a single word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Calm</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The world reverbed in the air around him; the pegasi’s eyes cleared as they stopped struggling, making way for a distinct confusion, as if they just remembered what they were doing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tommy- what did you--” The rest of Tubbo’s sentence was interrupted, or maybe Tommy’s hearing just failed with the way his head spun. His head was pounding, and he wasn’t sure if it was the wind or the pain that was making his sight fill with stars.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He managed to register was the sound of Wilbur’s faint yelling, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>We’re going down!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” and the wind whistling in his ears, black creeping the edges of his vision.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm not exactly sure that I like this chapter, but it fills the space and continues the plot so it's good enough. Might go back and edit soon.</p><p>Baby's first charmspeak, they grow up so fast :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chip on Your Shoulder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy learns more about his predicament after they finally arrive at camp, and starts to find his footing. </p><p>OR:</p><p>Tommy almost dies, gets a better explanation of his now crazy life, and meets an annoying pig man and a helpful daughter of Athena. Not necessarily in that order.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tommy woke up disoriented and cold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why? He had no idea. Only that when he gasped for air there was nothing there, and when he cracked open his eyes the world was blurry and—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything came crashing back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Demigods, Mr. Tweeds, Tubbo..</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh shit. He’s drowning.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy swam up, pushing against the freezing waters to the surface. His lungs filled with the sweet air. He barely had anytime to stop and think rational thoughts, like,</span>
  <em>
    <span> this is fucking insane</span>
  </em>
  <span>, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait a fucking minute, how am I not dead? </span>
  </em>
  <span> before he was getting dragged back under the surface.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A girl with shocking yellow eyes and black hair was pulling down on his ankle, taking away his precious supply of oxygen. He wanted to bark at her and ask her what the hell she thought she was doing. She gave him a devious look, flashing a mouthful of sharp teeth, before tossing up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy’s stomach flipped, and then he was on the shore, gasping and coughing up lake water. He gagged and heaved one more time as he registered someone draping something warm over his shoulders --- a towel probably. He shrugged it off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need your pity shit,” he muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few blurry shapes came into focus. Tommy registered Tubbo first; he was kneeling in front of him, also soaking wet, but at least he was up and talking to another blob of yellow and orange who’s hovering a few feet away. Tubbo blinked, turning back to Tommy as his sight finally cleared fully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo?” He asked. “What.. the fuck is happening.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know what happened?” Tubbo asked back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy thought for a moment. A murky version of events pieced together in his mind — the pegasi going insane, calming them down, fainting as the chariot fell from the sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chariot ride. Crazy fucking horses. Tommy’s head. Ouch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo lightly smacked his arm with the backside of his hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You fell into the lake after we crashed,” Tubbo clarified. “Wilbur and Sapnap are talking with some of the counselors. I would’ve gone with them, but I wanted to make sure you were okay.” They stare awkwardly at each other for a moment. Tubbo fidgeted with his bracelets, and only then Tommy had realized he was supposed to say something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, honestly, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to speak at all, and not just because his throat was still sore from earlier. The whole situation was still sinking in, leaving a deep chill in his bones that he was sure wasn't just from the dip in the lake. He wanted to just go home (wherever that was) and curl up in the corner, hopefully dead to the world so no one would come and check on him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, he picked himself up off the ground and dusted off his pants. “I’m fine, big man. So this is the camp, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo nodded, melting back into his sunny demeanor. He seemed even brighter now that they were actually here, and the grass at his feet reflected that, looking more bright and healthy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The surrounding area of Camp Half-Blood didn’t look too interesting to Tommy, though he supposed he didn’t actually get a good look at it yet. Groups of kids in orange t-shirts strolled around casually, carrying swords and shields and armor like it was nothing. Across the way, Tommy saw what he assumed were cabins lined up in a U shape in two rows, each looking more fantastical than the rest. He had a feeling he would get to see more of those later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo led him to where a group of older looking teens were standing. He recognized Sapnap and Wilbur among them, but the other two he didn’t know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you guys are,” Wilbur said as they walked up. “Thought you’d never stop talking over there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, relax,” Tommy grumbled. “We weren’t gone for that long.” He paused, before adding on a ‘dickhead’ for good measure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm,” Tommy turned toward the two others in the group — a boy and a girl. The girl was studying him with vast intent, her stormy grey eyes boring into his soul. “He’s a bit jumpy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy snorted. He spoke monotonously, “I would say a bit more than jumpy, Annabeth.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth was tall—Tommy pegged her as around the sixteen-seventeen range. Her hair was tied back up into a ponytail, a few blonde curls escaping their holding. Her face was dotted with freckles and scraped up with healed cuts. Tommy already didn’t like her by the way she analyzed him like an enemy to be taken down. It made him want to squirm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shifted on his feet. “Who the fuck are you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth finally stopped staring at him, and broke out into a relatively friendly smile. “I’m Annabeth. This is my brother, Technoblade. I assume you’re Thomas, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s Tommy,” he corrected sharply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Technoblade snorted again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy bristled. “What’s so funny, prick? And what kind of fucking name is Technoblade?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Technoblade flicked his long, pink braid over his shoulder. Tommy would’ve bet that his eyes would’ve been just as dead inside as his voice — if he could see his eyes, that is. He was wearing a mask resembling a boar's skull. It covered up his eyes, only leaving his mouth open to sight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A better one,” Techno smirked. “Better than yours at least.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy bristled. He opened his mouth to clash back, but Sapnap put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a warning look. He flinched at the touch and quickly shrugged the hand off, but shut up anyways.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth looked amused. Her grey eyes twinkled, looking more friendly. “I was going to let Tubbo take you over to the Hermes Cabin. You haven’t been claimed yet, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy frowned. He went to go ask what the fuck a ‘claiming’ was, but Wilbur shook his head and spoke first. “No, he hasn’t. We’re not sure who his parent might be either. My best guess would be Ares, based on how fucking insane this child is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m right here,” he reminded Wilbur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, right,” Wilbur waved the concern off. “He’s turning thirteen soon, anyways, so we won’t have to wait too long.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Annabeth must’ve seen Tommy’s confused look, because she gave him a kind look. “Godly parents have to claim their children by thirteen.” She explained. Then she pulled out a cell phone out her pocket and gestured it toward him. “Do you have to call anyone? Your mortal parent, maybe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy snorted. “Definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The most of any ‘parent’ he had ever had was his multitude of fosters that had passed him off as a problem child. His real parents (or parent, he supposed, seeing as the other was apparently a Greek God) had dropped him off at an orphanage when he was born. He was practically raised in the foster system. And he was not up for a six hour lecture from his social worker today.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got it,” Annabeth nodded. “Ask Wilbur or Sapnap if you have any questions, or you can go to Chiron. I’ll see you guys later.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, both Techno and Annabeth were off. Tommy rocked on his toes as he watched them leave. He wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about either of them --- Annabeth was nice, sure, but an itching feeling in his chest begged him not to trust them, not to trust any of this place. The burning in his throat suddenly returned, urging him to spit poison at anyone who got close.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap was the one who eventually broke the silence. “As much as I’d love to go to the Hermes Cabin with you guys, I have to get going..” He sheepishly rubbed his neck and pointed behind them where two teens were waiting a few feet away --- one in a colorful hoodie and the other in a blue track jacket. Tommy groaned internally as he saw the rings that matched the one on Sapnap’s beaded necklace on their persons.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Sapnap had waved them goodbye for the night, Tommy elbowed Tubbo. “Ew, love, am I right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo gave him a inquisitive look. “How did you know they were dating?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I-” Tommy paused. How </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>he know that they were dating? At first he thought it was the rings, but he realized that the rings could practically mean anything. The feeling was just kinda instinctive. “I happen to have a very good eye for relationships, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo giggled. “Sure, Tommy.” He adjusted his kandi bracelets and gave an affirmative nod to Wilbur. “ Alright. Let’s go to the Hermes Cabin.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The Hermes Cabin was cozy. The wooden cabin was crowded, but the splashes of color with the plants and posters lining the walls had Tommy not really minding that this would be where he was staying for the next couple weeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The cabin counselor, Conner Stoll, was also very welcoming, ready to accept another fellow troublemaker into his ranks. He gave Tommy the basic rules of the place and explained the basics of their schedule, as well as handing him a drawstring bag with toiletries and a few camp shirts. When asked by Wilbur if any of said items had been stolen from the camp shop, he only gave a mischievous smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shoving his bag under the cot he had been assigned (he quickly learned that Hermes kids were expert thieves and that he needed to be extra careful with his stuff if he didnt want it to get misplaced. It wouldn't be the first time.) Tubbo gave him a quick hug and an assuring smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry,” he said, reading Tommy’s deep inner anxieties. “It will get way easier after this. And if you need me, I’m just a few cabins down. Tomorrow we can get a weapon for you when you get the basics of training, since I think our schedules line up for combat. I can introduce you to my sister and my husband.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your </span>
  <em>
    <span>what-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing.” Tubbo said quickly. He had a look in his eye that reminded him a lot of Conner Stoll, and suddenly Tommy was reminded that as caring as he was, Tubbo could be as chaotic as him, perhaps even more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy tucked himself in just an hour later, but he couldn’t fall asleep just yet. The eyes that seemed to burn holes into *his flesh had returned. It made him paranoid enough that he was tossing and turning for a few hours.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he assured himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re just being fucking insane, as usual.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do not brush away your worries so easily, Thomas. Your instincts will assure you survive.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A woman's voice spoke in his head. Her voice was rough and stern, but beautiful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Survive what? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He dared to ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The threat you seek is more dangerous than you think. You need more training before you can just rush in. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The woman's voice chuckled, the sound like a thundering symphony. It calmed Tommy’s nerves. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Though, who am I kidding. You’re </span>
  </em>
  <span>my </span>
  <em>
    <span>son. Your power over your emotions is powerful. Don’t waste it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a thinly veiled threat, but it brought Tommy a sense of calm. Perhaps it was her confidence rubbing off on him, or maybe but he was just an idiot, but he ended up falling asleep a little more sure of himself, a little more confident he could survive the next day.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<em>
    <span>This place is insane</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But it could be home.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello, my wonderful readers! Hope you're glad to see me after about a month of not posting (I post about every week my ass) But I do have an explation and some good news!<br/>I've been really busy with school work and I've had a winterguard competition about every weekend, but now that the season is over, I should be able to work into a better schedule. I've also been busy planning out the rest of this story with my friend! So far we have the first two arcs down (there's a reason this is a series y'all) and I'm working on both a Tubbo oneshot and a Ranboo two-shot  (which should be released around the second arc of the story)<br/>I hope you guys will enjoy what I've planned! Til next time!<br/>-Kdotan</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Games Demigods Play</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy's settling in well enough, even though he hasn't been claimed yet. He meets a new camper than interrupts his momentary peace.</p><p>OR:</p><p>Tommy gets reckless. What else is new?</p><p>(TW FOR INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, ANGER ISSUES, AND MINOR VIOLENCE + INJURY)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next weeks at camp went smoothly for the most part. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy found himself relishing in the new change of pace. Sure, the greek lessons were nothing that he was typically interested in, but he could bear it if it meant that he could continue sword fighting. Now </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was fucking cool.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saturday’s he had learned were “free for all days,” meaning, in the words of Conner Stoll, ‘feel free to steal as much as you like!’ For Tommy, it meant Tubbo coming down to pick up Dream and him from the Hermes Cabin to spar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The training arena was more than cool. Tommy could barely get enough of seeing it, even though he had entered it everyday since he had arrived at camp. Something about the patterns of greek lettering and detailed pictures carved into the walls of the colosseum jolted his brain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(“Annabeth designed it,” Tubbo told him on his third day after catching him staring at the walls for the millionth time. “She practically designs everything at camp. Techno says that the pictures are supposed to be recognizable to our brains, since we’re hardwired for reading greek. I just think it’s fucking cool.”)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just because the arena was cool, doesn’t mean the training wasn’t tough though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy grunted, pulled back into his thoughts as he landed roughly on the dirt flooring. His practice sword had flown off to the side somewhere. Dream, the speedy bastard, was laughing as he offered his hand in help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream offered to be his sparring partner, since he was more experienced, and Tommy had readily accepted. What he didn’t consider was how fast the elder teen was. And it really didn’t help that his sword felt all wonky whenever he tried to hold it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(“Your sword probably feels like that because this is new to you,” Dream said as he casually flipped his own weapon around like it was nothing. Fucking prick. “Don’t worry, you’ll probably be able to forge something to your tastes if it still feels wrong. Give it some time.”)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy scowled as he pushed Dream’s hand away. “Ugh, this is all shit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the next twenty failed attempts at trying to disarm Dream, Tubbo suggested a break. Tommy couldn’t be more grateful when everyone agreed. His muscles were getting tired, and there were only so many times he could get knocked down before rage quitting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Soooo,” Tubbo propped himself up on his elbows as Tommy stretched his arms. “You’re turning thirteen in how many days again, Tommy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not this fucking shit again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo had practically brought this up once everyday. It was obvious that he was eager to see Tommy get claimed, eyes lingering for a glowing symbol above his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy didn’t exactly share his excitement. He was more or less okay with staying where he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, he reminded Tubbo of the date. June 7th. Less than a week — five days to be specific — from his thirteenth birthday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This apparently piqued Dream’s interest, because he looked up from where he was cleaning his sword. “Oooo. That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>interesting</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Tommy groaned internally. “Who are you hoping to get claimed by?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t care,” he barked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s an Ares kid,” Tubbo continued on as if he hadn’t heard Tommy. “Or Hermes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream nodded in consideration. “I can see either of those. I’m betting on Dionysus.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty sure Wilbur would die if that happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy squirmed at the mention of the son of Dionysus. They weren’t exactly.. on the best terms. They weren’t cold-blood enemies, but he wouldn’t consider Wilbur his friend either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had seen Wilbur a total of three times since he had been dropped off ---  and one of them hadn’t even been willingly. He had been sent to check on Tommy by Chiron, see how he was doing n’ making sure he hadn’t had a mental breakdown since figuring out he was half god. (For which he asked Tommy a few required questions about his mental state, called him a child a few times, and lightly smacked him upside the head.) The other two times had been in passing. However, he had learned a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot </span>
  </em>
  <span>from Tubbo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wilbur was nineteen, claimed when he arrived at camp by his father at only thirteen. He had no powers, but apparently had maintained a prowess with swords and had enough charisma to collect a good crowd of allies and a great reputation around camp. Whenever Tubbo spoke about him, it was with a twinkle in his eyes and sound fondness that Tommy couldn’t help but develop a begruding respect for the man (not that he would ever admit to the fuckin’ prick.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even so, Tommy didn’t exactly want to entertain the fact that they could be brothers, as funny as it would be to see him go insane for a few hours.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Could we fucking shut up about my dumb parentage for a bit?” Tommy sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah,” Tubbo said. He was messing around with a flower he had grown out of the dirt. “Niki thinks your mum might be Aphrodite, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream laughed, a sound between a wheeze and a tea kettle. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Aphrodite</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Is she insane?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I said! She’s pretty adamant about it though, something about Tommy’s eye color shifting? I don’t see it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy pursed his lips. He’s had people tell him his eyes seemed unnaturally blue --- but shifting in color? He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure how he felt about being pegged as an Aphrodite kid, either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The most he had seen of the children of love was them sitting out of camp activities, tending to their appearance more than participating. They seemed kinda.. Weak, if he was honest. And he was anything but weak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he had heard the rumors. Their head counselor, Piper Mc-something, had fought in the second Giant War, as part of a group called the Seven. Apparently the group was legendary, and her charmspeak had managed to put a goddess to sleep (or something. Tommy didn’t exactly pay attention in history.) He had heard her stories at the campfire -- of fighting off powerful monsters, clobbering some gods, and getting praised by her mother. The only part he could honestly remember her talking about was her charmspeak --- which he thought might’ve been something close to whatever he had been dealing with recently --- but her experiences of powerful words didn’t line up with the sappy, sweet feeling he got in his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was whatever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, nerds!” Tommy turned his head to see a girl marching toward them. She wore a red and white polka-dotted bandana that pinned back her unruly brown curls. “Are you ready for us to clobber you in Capture the Flag tonight?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The image of about ten dozen demigod campers running for small red kiddie flags filled Tommy’s head. It was hard not to laugh at the thought, but he somehow managed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, Laura. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Tubbo frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl --- Laura --- snickered. “Just reminding you who’s boss, bitch boy.” Then she landed her eyes on Tommy. “Who’s your loser friend? Oh shit, is this the dumbass new kid that Techno was talking about? Theseus?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy coughed. “For the record, I am not a fucking loser. And it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tommy</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Laura rolled her eyes. “Sure, bitch. Anyways, Theseus, us Ares kids really like to win, so you better stay out of our fucking way, alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sharp feeling cut itself in Tommy’s throat. It tasted bitter and acidic. He had to take a minute to swallow it back down. “It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tommy</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Laura!” Dream cut in, voice surprisingly light for the situation. “What do you need?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Laura’s brown eyes glanced down at the sharp sword in Dream’s hand, and then to his smiley face mask. She suddenly seemed more wary than before. “Sorry, just making my rounds. Telling everyone about the game tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure you are. But now we’re well informed, so maybe you could find someone else to tell?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Laura looked vaguely insulted by this. She fluttered around for a minute, mouth gaping and sputtering like a codfish. Finally, she turned sharply on her heel. “You better watch yourself, Theseus.” She snapped, red in the face, before stalking away to where the training dummies were set up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as she had left their range, Tommy took his chance to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“WHO THE FUCK EVEN WAS THAT?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Laura,” Tubbo grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Laura. She’s a daughter of Ares. Likes to target unclaimed kids, especially ones who like to question her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I’m assuming you just know everyone here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo didn’t reply. He went to go back to his flower, but it had wilted with his mood, so he let it crumble to the dirt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo was one of Laura’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>targets</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Dream whispered in his ear. He said </span>
  <em>
    <span>targets </span>
  </em>
  <span>like it was something he wanted to rip to shreds. Tommy couldn’t blame him; Laura seemed very shreddable. “She bothered Tubbo a lot before he got claimed. We had to get Chiron involved. I would watch out if I were you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy’s face twisted into a scowl. His throat burned, sickenly sweet words bubbling up that he would just love to hurl at Laura’s face. The sheer sight of Tubbo’s reaction made him want to throw something, anything, or perhaps drive a knife through a certain someone’s face, watch the blood gurgle from her fucking slit throat and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head to dispel the disturbing image and blinked away the burning rage clouding his vision. Even so, he felt a plan stitch itself together in his head like a threadbare quilt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see about that, big man.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Capture the flag was much different than Tommy expected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as dinner was finished,  a conch shell sounded. Chiron stepped up and pounded his hooves on the marble flooring (yep, horse man has horse legs. Tommy’s learned enough to not question it.) Campers cheered as Wilbur and another boy stepped to the front carrying a silk banner, decorated with grape vines and embroidered wine goblets. The Ares Cabin did the same, though their lineup consisted of their councilor --- Clarrisa? --- and a few more boys and girls, Laura included. Surprisingly, Techno was also up there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought he was an Athena kid,” he whispered to Dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who, Techno?” Dream told him. “Eh, he fights on his patron’s side. Champion of Ares benefits.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tables filled up with armor and weapons. Tommy took a random sword (it still didn’t feel right in his hand) and let Dream adjust his armor, although he could’ve definitely gone without the feathery blue plume on the helmet. It made him look fucking stupid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He spaced out for a bit as they gathered with the small Dionysis Cabin to discuss pre-game plans with the Apollo and Hephestus cabins. Unfortunately, Demeter was allied with Ares. He only got shocked back into stupor when Conner addressed him directly. “Tommy,” Conner blinked at him. “You’re gonna go to the back of the woods and guard there, got it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy shrugged. Usually he would be more annoyed that they weren’t giving him something more important to do, but he had his own plans for the evening that involved being ignored, so he would have to complain later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ditched his position as soon as he got stationed, holding his sword up awkwardly and searching for frizzy brown curls and angry brown eyes. Luckily, no one noticed he had left his post yet, so he was left with some time to wander away from the chaos. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten minutes later, he stumbled upon a group of kids huddling in a patch of grass. Their red plumes gave them away as the enemy. A girl stood in front of them, back facing him. Her pitchy voice dole out commands and insults.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jackpot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Break!” Laura barked. “And don’t let me catch you out of your stations!” Tommy grinned, holding up his sword in an offensive position, waiting to wander out from his hiding position in the bushes, ready to catch the bitch by surprise--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know I know you’re there, right?” Laura asked. The question was clearly rhetorical, but Tommy stepped forward anyways.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever.” He scoffed. “I don’t care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seems like you do,” Laura hefted her own sword in the air, slashing it through the air a few times. It was clear that she had more experience than him by just the way she held the weapon. The dumb bitch was showing off! “You cared to find me here,” she pointed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy blanched. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck. That was true.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No worries, though.” She said. “I wanted to talk to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In a second, her sword was brushed up against his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You got some tough shit coming in here and facing me like this,” She growled. Her whole demeanor had changed from bratty bitch to someone who could be quite intimidating. Tommy swallowed heavily. Guess he knew what it was like to face off an Ares kid now. He’d have to remind Tubbo to not let him do that again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If he survived this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not even fucking claimed,” she continued. “Gods, I don’t know why Techno was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>interested </span>
  </em>
  <span>in you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” He mumbled. “What are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck off</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Laura hissed. A mix of desperation and frustration leaked into her voice Then suddenly she pushed him back and slashed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy’s chest erupted in agony as he fell back into the grass, his vision tunneling. He whimpered pathetically as he cracked an eye to check the cut on his chest. Realistically, he knew the damage wasn’t that bad, that the cut couldn’t be more than an inch deep. But the sight of blood soaking his ripped Camp Half-Blood t-shirt made him woozy. This was not going good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was his plan blowing up in his face? Yes. Was he going to back out? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pfff, fuck no. Who do you take him for, a coward? Someone with more than half a brain cell? Yeah, no.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he sucked it up and gritted his teeth against the pain. Laura laughed viciously. “Gods, are you that fucking dense?!” She swung her sword around recklessly. The tip was tinted with blood, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>blood. “Or do I have to drive a fucking sword for you to get it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he saw it. The slits in the darkness, glowing against the trees. Immediately, the feeling of eyes all over him returned, making him shudder. “L-laura?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” She seethed. “What could you possibly--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t get to finish her sentence before it pounced.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You probably weren't expecting me to update so soon, but let's just say,, I got a bit motivated :)</p><p>Laura my abhorred &lt;3</p><p>I do hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the short note today I am very tired as of writing this. And please heed the trigger warnings!! It's only minor stuff right now but it'll probably get more intense as chapters move on.<br/>-Kdotan</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Two Dumbass Demigods vs. The Murder Ants (feat: Tommy’s Repressed Trauma)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy and Laura have some trouble. Uh oh.</p><p>OR:</p><p>Tommy fights some ants and learns that repressing his feelings is Not Good(tm)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ants. It had to be fucking ants.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There had to be at least three or four, not counting the one that was currently pinning Laura to the ground. All of them were huge, with sharp claws attached to their limbs, jaws unhinging to hiss at the two, young demigods at their mercy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The worst things were the eyes though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One hundred glowing eyes stabbing holes into his soul. Some were staring directly at him, while others were peeking at the area around. Still, it felt invading, like they were going to pick him apart to learn all of his most deeply-guarded secrets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy felt his breathing quicken, his grip tightening on his sword. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck. Shit. Fuck.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is so not good.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Laura’s high-pitched shriek rang out. Luckily, she still had her sword on her, so she managed to slash it across the monster’s face and scramble away as it wheezed in pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not one word, Theseus.” She grumbled, face bright red.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy gaped at her. “There’s fucking murder ants here and you’re worried about embarrassing yourself?!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Relax, dumbass. It’s just a few monsters. I don’t exactly know how they got past the barrier, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. You know how to handle a weapon yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy absentmindedly nodded, glancing at the sword in his hand. It still didn’t feel right, but it would work, right? This was fine, wasn’t it? Nothing that big man Tommy hadn’t dealt with before. After all, what were a few ants to a fire-breathing english teacher?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good. Now follow my lead and don’t fuck up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both dove into action. Tommy dodged and weaved to avoid getting his head bitten off. On closer inspection, the ants apparently had rows of sharp teeth to chew with --- and that was one experience Tommy did not want to witness. After several failed attempts at trying to stab it (in the process of which Laura had yelled at him to, quote,  “STOP STABBING LIKE A ROMAN BITCH,” which he had to admit, would be some pretty good fucking advice iF HE WEREN’T </span>
  <em>
    <span>FUCKING INJURED WHO’S FAULT IS THAT, BITCH-</span>
  </em>
  <span>), he managed to slash it’s head off in one smooth motion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned toward Laura. As much as he didn’t like the girl, he had to admit, she was a fighting machine. So far she had managed to finish off two ants, and was currently expertly slashing at a third. Her curly hair was coated in a thin layer of golden dust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She snorted at his expression --- he was sure it was something close to a dumbfounded puppy --- and finally sheathed her sword. “Good game, Theseus. Now, come on. We just </span>
  <em>
    <span>gotta </span>
  </em>
  <span>tell Chiron about this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you’re not going anywhereee~” A chorus of raspy voices hissed. Tommy turned toward the noise, and consequently turned pale.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Standing behind him and Laura were about five more fucking ants, their thousands of glowing eyes boring into him, making him freeze in his spot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh we are </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>fucked.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>Note to self,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Tommy thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Never leave your assigned station, or else you’ll end up with giant ants trying to kill you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as Laura assumed an offensive position, muttering several greek curse words underneath her breath. He tried to copy her, but it was obvious that his stance was sloppy. And the bleeding cut that sent jolts of pain of his spine every time he tried to move didn’t exactly help his case.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Laura,” Tommy muttered. It was more like a whimper with how pathetic sounded. He wanted to curse himself --- he was not weak. “What the shit is happening?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sent him a stone-cold glare, one that easily said,</span>
  <em>
    <span> you better shut up and stay put or I’ll beat the shit out of you. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Then she focused her attention on the enemy in front of her. Her lips were pulled into a tight line, eyebrows furrowed, look completely focused as she walked forward, arrogance in her steps. But the emotion that settled in her eyes was close to something entirely different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fear in her eyes made Tommy’s knees wobble. He almost buckled to the ground, shaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen here, bitches,” Laura’s voice was confident and assured as she addressed the ants. “You have two options: One, you can fuck off and leave my home alone. Or; two, I can beat the absolute shit out of you.” She let out a bitter laugh. “And unless you want to end up like your buddies back there, I would choose </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>carefully.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We are not here for you, daughter of Aressss~” The ants spoke in unison, like the most terrifying symphony that Tommy had ever heard. His gut twisted at their uncaring speech. At least Mr. Tweeds had </span>
  <em>
    <span>some </span>
  </em>
  <span>emotion in him; these creatures’ blank faces gave him the major creepy-crawlies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Laura grinned. “Option two then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy almost had the mind to tell her that it was probably a bad idea to just go charge five hound sized monsters on her own, but then again, who the hell was he to say anything? His middle name was reckless. He had practically gained the title of king of making bad decisions; coming out here was proof of that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides, it wasn’t like he was frozen to his spot in shock. Definitely not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just watched as Laura ran into the fray, something he should’ve felt guilt for, but all he could think was </span>
  <em>
    <span>holy shit holy shit- </span>
  </em>
  <span>He honestly wasn’t sure how she could be so cocky about this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But she’s not,</span>
  </em>
  <span> something in his heart mumbled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You saw the fear, Tommy, she’s faking. You know that all too well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Laura slashed and swerved between the hive mind of ants. Her swift moments and smooth sword work made Tommy wonder how long she had been at camp. At one point, she managed to get a hit on one of them — not enough to turn it to dust, mind you, but the gash was still large and leaking gold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy’s heart stuttered in his chest. For a minute, false hope rose in his heart. Watching her slice through the ant’s hard skin actually had him convinced that this was going to end well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Who was he kidding? This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>life he was talking about --- nothing ever ends well!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sharp cry of pain rang out through their little spot in the forest. Laura was thrown backwards against a tree, painfully hitting the lower trunk with a sickening </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was only after that Tommy finally, finally, managed to get his body responding again a few seconds after. He rushed toward her fallen body --- and consequently winced at the unnatural way her ankle was bent. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, shit, shit.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could hear the ants making a mocking chittering sound, laughing at them, but Tommy ignored them. He was no medical genius, but he was pretty sure that a person’s breathing wasn’t supposed to be that shallow. She had a large bite mark on her shoulder that was still oozing blood. But she was still alive. That was something he could work with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He lightly slapped her cheek a few times, sucking air through his teeth when she didn’t respond. “C’mon, dumbass,” he hissed. “I know we don’t exactly like each other here, but you could at least cooperate with me here. Or do you want me to hit you harder?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That seemed to shake her. She sucked in a painful breath, her eyelids flickering. “All I heard was ‘want me to hit you harder,’ and all I’m going to say is don’t you fucking dare.” Her voice was strained, vowels slurred, but it was good enough for Tommy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay,” He asked hesitantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I feel a bit woozy,” she admitted. “I’m not sure how the rest of me looks, and by the look on your face, I’m not sure I wanna know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fogginess in her eyes cleared a bit, only to be replaced seconds later with pure panic. She looked at him with thinly concealed desperation. Tommy wasn’t sure what was wrong for a moment --- maybe she actually was dying and was only now just feeling it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then it hit him like a hammer to the head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She couldn’t move.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ants must have also seen the realization hit him, because the chittering got louder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned, pointing at the monsters gathering around them threateningly. “Don’t you fucking even </span>
  <em>
    <span>think </span>
  </em>
  <span>about touching her,” he growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, nooo~” The ants chorused. “We are not here for her. We are here for </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, son of love.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy tried to swallow back the burning in his throat, but it seemed to come back tenfold, begging him to let the words pour out, like honey dripping off a spoon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He coughed it back, but only some of the burning relieved. “Bring it, bitches.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You do not understanddd~” Their eyes seemed to sharpen and glower at him. “We will only ask once: where are the soulsss?~”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy frowned. His brain frantically tried to search back, recall something close to what they were saying, but he came up empty. He couldn’t recall stealing any sort of soul --- pencils, earbuds, other small things he swiped from stores that weren’t important right now, yes --- but no souls. Was stealing a soul even fucking possible?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he croaked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lying will only make things worse for you, demigodd~”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy looked desperately between the feverish demigod beside him and the group of ants that were slowly closing in. He tried to brandish his sword in a way that looked threatening, that would get them to back off somehow, but they weren’t stopping, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why weren’t they fucking stopping?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somewhere in his mind, he was aware that he must’ve looked like he was five years old again, sniffling and shivering in fear on the orphanage doorstep, peering up at his mother as she looked solemnly down at him. Her swirling blue eyes were the only thing that he could see clearly, the rest blurred along with the repressed memory. They were like the stained glass in the cathedral down the street. Beautiful, but fragile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do not resist, Thomas.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She had sobbed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sometime your destiny will become clear, until then, you must stay.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her lips formed the words, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then the dam broke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>STOP</b>
  <span>!” He screeched. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ants froze in place. All of their hundreds of eyes glazed over. Tommy’s throat burned like hell as the taste of burnt honey flooded his senses. His mouth seemed to move on its own, words resting on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be burned permanently into the air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please,” he begged. “Leave, leave. Just </span>
  <b>
    <em>leave</em>
  </b>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a minute, the ants just sat there, frozen into place like statues. And then, they started to move. They robotically formed a single file line and, finally --- </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>--- marched away. Tommy didn’t let himself breathe until he was sure that they were gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And even then, he was left confused and spiraling and to just </span>
  <em>
    <span>sit </span>
  </em>
  <span>in a puddle of his own messed up emotions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>What the fuck just happened</b>
  <span>,” he breathed. The question was so soft that even he had trouble hearing it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Next to him, Laura slowly pushed herself up. She looked around at their little pocket in the forest, only stopping to wince at her twisted ankle. The area looked normal, like it hadn’t just been the movie set of ‘Two Dumbass Demigods vs. The Murder Ants.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well,” she said. “That could have gone better. Where the fuck did they even go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>I-</b>
  <span>” Tommy coughed, “I dunno. They just… left.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her eyebrows furrowed. “They left? Are you sure, dude? Maybe you're the one who should be getting medical attention right now, because monsters don’t just leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She attempted to reach her hand to place it on Tommy’s forehead to check for fever, but he swatted her away. “What the fuck do you mean, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>are you sure?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Of course I’m fucking sure! I watched it with my own eyes, goddamnit!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, well maybe we should--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bushes rustled. Tommy froze. His grip tightened on his sword, his mind switching to a bottomless pit of what-ifs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh fuck. What if they didn’t actually leave? What if he didn’t actually get them to leave? What if they just did that to trick him? To play with him? Do monsters do that? Jesus fuck, is this how his life was going to be from now on?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The leaves parted, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were greeted with the angry face of Wilbur Soot.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“I cannot fucking believe this! You’re telling me that you left your station so you could go attack some girl like a petty schoolboy --- barely trained, mind you --- leaving part of the forest unprotected which let several Apollo kids past our defenses. And then got attacked by a bunch of ants??”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Monsters,” Tommy corrected. “And you should have seen them, big man, they had like a zillion eyes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, okay. And I supposed you killed them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! I told you that they </span>
  <em>
    <span>just left</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, Tommy. And I’ll guess that they left you biscuits and tea on their way out?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wil,” Tubbo said, putting a calming hand on Wilbur’s shoulder as he paced back and forth. “It’s alright. Everyone’s okay, so that’s good, right?” He attempted to place a flower in Wilbur’s hair, but the son of Dionysus just swatted him away and went straight back to ranting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo sent Tommy a sympathetic look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apparently the game of capture the flag had gone just fine, if you didn’t count the fact that the Dionysus Cabin Alliance had lost. Someone must’ve come and reported that Tommy wasn’t in his spot, so Wilbur had gone looking for him, only to find him sitting in the grass next to a feverish camper, losing his absolute goddamn mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now Tommy stood staring at his own scuffed shoes, trying to calm the bubbling mixture of emotion in his chest. The bitter taste of saccharine burned his tongue as he tried to explain what had happened. It took everything in him to keep the sweet feeling from spilling over in some sort of sticky, syrupy vomit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mind was reeling like a burnt-out movie tape, his awareness drifting off onto some cloud in the middle of nowhere. So far, Tubbo had asked him if he was okay about five or ten times, all of them responded with a faint ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>yeah, sure</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ or a ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>could be better.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy tried replaying the fight in his mind, turning the memory over and over and over to try and figure out what in the everloving fuck had just happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dimly, he was aware of Wilbur frustratedly ranting away in the real world, but here, he was just replaying, replaying, replaying, stuck on an endless loop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tommy? Tommy, are you even listening to me?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mum was staring at him. Church bells rang in the distance. The rain plastered her blonde hair to her face, her mouth open in an endless plea of </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Why was she crying like that, why was she leaving him, she couldn’t be leaving him</span>
  <b>
    <em> please don’t leave me</em>
  </b>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt something brush his shoulder. Immediately, he roughly shoved it off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get off,” Tommy hissed. When it didn’t leave, he tried again. “Off, off. Don’t touch me, </span>
  <b>
    <em>off</em>
  </b>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was pulled back into awareness when the weight left his shoulder, greeted by the concerned face of Tubbo. Wilbur was next to him, clutching his hand like it had been burned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Tommy said. “I’m fine. Please don’t touch me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Tubbo replied softly. “Just so you know, Drew wants to check you out for injuries.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy frowned. “Drew?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me,” a new voice said. A tanned Asian girl was standing off to the side, a medical bag in her hands. Tommy recognized her as one of the Aphrodite kids that liked to sit off to the side. Her dark hair was perfectly curled, her brown eyes framed with pink eyeliner. “I just need to ask you a few questions. And check out that cut you got, okay hon’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her voice was surprisingly soft and soothing. Still, he knew better than to trust anything too pretty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s it to you? I’m fine, bitch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Drew’s eyes narrowed, flickering down to his lower chest where the cut was. “That cut’s gonna get infected.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is he always like this?” Drew asked Wilbur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wilbur shrugged while Tubbo nodded insistently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right. Okay. We’ll do this the hard way then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy frowned, getting ready to take off if anyone tried anything again, but when Drew spoke again, her voice was different. It was like a soothing radio host, one you might put on in the background while you curled up near the fireplace and read (despite your stupid fucking dyslexia.) It made him feel safe in a way he hadn’t in a long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, hon. Can you take off your shirt for me? Just so I can sanitize  and bandage the cut.” He nodded in a daze. He gently pulled the tattered camp shirt over his head, and let Drew do her work. She hummed a soft melody as she cleaned his wound, and he couldn’t help but sing along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her song was none that he had ever recognized, but simple enough so he could follow. Sweet and honeyish, her voice reminded him of pine sap --- saccharine and resonant. It almost reminded him of his own, the sweet sound wrapping his mind in a daze--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait a fucking minute.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh hell no.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy pushed Drew away from his wound gently. She looked down at him with genuine confusion in her warm brown eyes. “Tommy?” Her words were still all sweet, but he was just as confused as she was.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Why was he pushing her away the cut’s gonna get infected why does his throat burn- </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Off.” He lightly shoved her away again. “</span>
  <b>
    <em>Get off.</em>
  </b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Drew stared back at him. Her eyes were pinched, mouth slightly open as if she was about to ask something, but she didn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay…” She nodded, scooting back a few inches. “Okay. I’ll back off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Drew,” Wilbur sighed. It wasn’t an exasperated one, but a more worried one. Tubbo stood next to him. The grass wilted at their feet. “What’s happening?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-” Drew stammered. “He’s- he’s in shock.” She stated. “Something about the monster attack, probably.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There was no proof of any monsters in camp!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wilbur-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy chose to ignore them. He stood up, patting his pockets, frowning when he felt something that wasn’t there before. Curiously, he withdrew a folded piece of paper and opened it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thomas Discus</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I hate to be so abrupt with this little letter, but I have a favor to ask of you. Luckily for you, I’m not even going to ask for much.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Give us back the souls. You have seven days time. If you fail, you will die.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-JS</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Who the actual fuck?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He yelped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo stared over his shoulder. “That’s not good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy jumped back in surprise. “What the-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that,” Tubbo stared above Tommy’s head uneasily. They had gathered a few other campers’ attention suddenly. Was his outburst really that loud? “Is also not good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tubbo pointed up, staring at the spot right above Tommy’s head in awe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I cannot hide you any longer. But you will make do --- my children always do.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Above him, glowing pink, was the claiming sign of a dove.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ello everyone :) how- how are you feeling after that? Hopefully good, cuz this chapter was awesome to write. One of my favorite things is setting up Tommy's charmspeak and future plot points. Anyone have any idea who JS is?<br/>Oh yeah. FYI since I think that some people might get confused, Tommy's mom in his memories (the one who was crying in his memories) is NOT Aphrodite. I'll just leave that there for you guys :)<br/>Also! Fun news: my friend set up a discord server for this story/to talk about mcyt in general. I'm not technically the owner since I am not as experienced as he is in discord (and I have major social anxiety lol) but I will be lurking in the server giving updates on the writing process if yall wanna see that. https://discord.gg/38DjTD4GCZ here's the invite link! ^_^<br/>Also also:<br/>I BELIEVE IN DREW SUPREMACY</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I usually post about every two weeks. Might be a bit shorter, might be a bit longer, but I'm trying my best!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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